


Hail To The King

by Amethyst_Hunter



Series: 30 Kisses: The Serpent and the Jackal [3]
Category: GetBackers
Genre: Games, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-16
Updated: 2014-09-16
Packaged: 2018-02-17 15:16:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2314124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amethyst_Hunter/pseuds/Amethyst_Hunter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ban triumphs over all in a classic game...or does he?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hail To The King

**Author's Note:**

> \- Happy Fun Disclaimer: GB is not mine.
> 
> \- 3rd in the 30 Kisses Serpent & Jackal series. Theme: #16 – “invincible; unrivaled.” Rated PG for minor swearing.

~~

 

“I wish they wouldn’t do that in here,” Paul complained as he poured Shido another cup of coffee. “They’re scaring the customers.”

Shido inhaled the delicious fragrance and sipped at his cup before replying. “Blame the snake-man, he started it.”

They both looked to the far corner. In a booth were two people, each with one fist raised towards the other. Each man wore a deadly serious expression of intense focus. A battle of wits was about to commence, with a third man – perched above them on the window ledge – keeping track of the score.

Ginji waved his hand. “Go!”

“One – two – three – HA! Rock breaks scissors!” Ban announced triumphantly, smacking his fist on the countertop. “I win again. The invincible Midou Ban-sama has spoken!”

Across from him, Akabane frowned faintly. “I still do not see the point to this game, much less your enthusiasm for it.”

“You’re just saying that because you’re losing,” Ban said with a smirk. He glanced up at Ginji. “How many is that now?”

Ginji risked a somewhat nervous peek at Akabane. “Um, you’re up to eight now, Ban-chan.” Not wanting to be caught between a rock and a hard place, he added, “But Akabane-san’s almost gotten you a few times. He’s getting better.”

His brownnosing paid off; Akabane favored him with a pleasant smile. “Thank you, Ginji-kun.”

“Getting better?” Ban snorted. “Ginji, you need glasses. Jackal has no clue as to what he’s doing. He keeps using scissors when he should be mixing it up.”

Akabane’s smile cooled a degree or two. “Best of nine, then,” he said.

Ban grinned. “I swear, I’ve never met anybody who enjoys being dominated by me as much as you do. Just can’t get enough of that ‘ol masochism, can you? I told you once and I’ll tell you again. Nobody beats me at this game. Because I’m the great Ban-sama. Right, Ginji?”

Ginji smiled, trying not to let his trepidation show. “Sure, Ban-chan. But...you know, it’s not Akabane-san’s fault that he’s not familiar with Rock-Paper-Scissors. I mean, it took me forever to learn it, even with you teaching me.”

“And you still get your ass beat by me,” Ban said unrepentantly.

Shido interrupted from the counter. “What are you guys playing for, again?”

Ginji hopped off the ledge he was sitting on and joined him to explain. “Well, see, Ban-chan and I had this recovery job a couple days ago where we had to find this antique vase that was mistakenly left at a dealership, and while we were browsing these shops trying to locate it we ran into Akabane-san. He, uh, sort of helped us pick the right vase –“

“Did not,” Ban said without looking up from his spot at the booth.

“ – and when we took it back to the client he was so excited I guess he thought that Akabane-san was with us, because when he wrote out the check he made it out to all three of us –“

“I do believe I have rightfully earned my share,” Akabane stated.

“ – only Ban-chan got upset but by the time we discovered the mistake the client had already taken off, so now we have to decide how to split the money,” Ginji finished.

“Ain’t no deciding about it, you eel,” Ban told him. “That’s Get Backers money, pure and simple. Jackal’s not even in the picture.” He pointedly ignored the raised eyebrow Akabane sent in his direction.

“But Ban-chan, he did help us find the vase,” Ginji protested, not so much out of a sense of righteousness as a fear of an erupting battle between the two. “I would think that’s worth at least something...”

“Ginji’s got a point,” Shido said. “Fair’s fair, after all.” 

“Hell no! That’s my ciggy cash,” Ban said. He saw Shido flick a wary glance towards Akabane, who was wearing the kind of coolly polite expression that said good manners only extended so far before a scalpel-pitching tantrum was in the works. Ban glowered at them both. “Shut up, monkey trainer.” 

Shido shrugged. “Don’t look at me. He’s your boyfriend, you deal with it.”

“Believe me, I will.” Ban turned back to Akabane. “So, you wanna go again, or have you had enough of me whupping your skinny ass for one day?”

Akabane’s smile was razor-sharp in its challenge. “I am up to another round if you are, Midou-kun.”

“Great! Ginji, get over here and referee.” Meekly Ginji obeyed, this time taking up position in front of the booth so he could beat a fast retreat backwards if things turned ugly. “Ready?”

“Ready, Ban-chan.”

“You ready, Jackal?”

“I am.”

Ginji held up one hand. “One...two...three...go!” he said, swinging his arm down. Immediately both Ban and Akabane shook fists at each other while Ban counted off the beats. 

“One – two – three – “

“Rock beats paper!” Akabane announced with rich satisfaction. His smirk was ripe in its triumph.

“It does not!” Ban all but roared, slamming his fist down on the table. “How many times do I have to explain it, paper wraps rock. Idiot!”

“No, it doesn’t. Rock punches through paper,” Akabane said, a shade of defiance coloring his tone somewhat. “And I shall thank you to refrain from insulting me so rudely, Midou-kun.”

“Then stop being so stupid about it,” Ban snapped. “Any idiot knows that paper has always, _always_ wrapped rock, it’s never the other way around!”

Akabane’s frown deepened. “That was not the way it was explained to me.”

“Yeah? Who taught you these half-assed rules you’re using, one of Monkey-Man’s squirrels?” Shido snarled a curse at that.

Akabane’s voice turned deadly soft. “There is no need to be so unpleasant towards everyone when it is quite obvious you are in the wrong, Midou-kun.” Narrowed purple eyes flickered in Ginji’s direction for a moment. “Ginji-kun taught me how to play, if that’s what you wanted to know...”

All looks settled on Ginji, who turned pale and gulped. “I never said I was an expert, I just said I had a basic understanding of the principles...” he whimpered.

“The principles of a gnat’s brain, maybe!” Ban snorted. “Listen up, you morons. This is the natural evolutionary order of things: Rock breaks scissors. Scissors cuts paper. Paper wraps rock. You never ever deviate from this cycle. We’re talking ageless fundamental laws of the universe here, for cryin’ out loud. Breaking them is like inducing cosmic chaos that will disrupt the larger balance and throw the whole system out of whack!”

Silence reigned in the coffee shop for several moments as everybody stared at him.

“Dude, you’re a jackass,” Shido pronounced.

Ban shot to his feet. “And you’re six goats shy of a herd if you think I’m gonna kiss even one dime of this – “ he pulled a crumpled check out of his pants pocket and waved it in Shido’s face – “little beauty goodbye. Know why? ‘Cause I’m the bloody invincible do-not-screw-with-me Get Backers King of Ban-Midou-Sama games, that’s why!”

Ban started to stuff the check back into his pocket when the whisper of a _snip!_ drew his attention. 

“What the hell?” 

It was then that he, and everyone else, saw the other half of a piece of paper fluttering to the floor.

Ginji’s jaw about hit the floor. “He _so_ did _not_ just do that!” Nearby, Shido and Paul were almost choking on their laughter as they watched Ban’s face turn lovely shades of rainbow.

“...is...that... _MY MONEY_?!”

Akabane bent down and picked up the severed piece of check. He tucked it into a breast pocket of his coat and smiled at them, saluting the group with two scalpel-laden fingers that clicked together. “As you said, Midou-kun. Scissors cuts paper.” He tipped his hat with a smile and wink. “See you at the bank.” 

_“YOU TWO-FACED SONOFABITCHIN’ RAT ASS WEASEL SNAKE-HUMPING JACKAL! YOU’RE SLEEPING ON THE COUCH TONIGHT, D’YA HEAR ME AKABANE?!”_

“Hey! My place is a blood-free zone. Remember that,” Paul said as he and Ginji struggled to hold back a raging Ban from disemboweling the check-defiler.

Shido jumped up from his seat and blew past them. He clapped a companionable arm around Akabane as they exited the Honky Tonk. “You know, Dr. J, this could be the start of a beautiful new friendship...”

 

~~


End file.
